In this section you can review the executive summary and the business plan's table of contents:

Executive Summary 

Strategic Overview of the Company

Ratti Entertainment Inc. has created Black Salt Films LLC (the “Company”) a limited liability company established in Los Angeles California.  Investors who participate in this film project will share in the profits of the whole distribution chain, and not just the domestic returns provided by most Hollywood arrangements.  Our goal is to create a film with a new backwards approach method which is non traditional from the Hollywood film process but is drastically needed in today’s business environment, based on changing technology, piracy and the new global economy.  This backwards approach method consists of first developing the multi-merchandising product lines (apparel, video game, animated cartoon, comic book, toy, etc.)  Then it is equally important to launch a strategical grass roots marketing and promotional campaign to create a consumer demand, loyal customer base and multi product revenue streams for the film before it is even made. 

The Management

We have a team of executives with varied and wide expertise.  The Company has formed relationships with key consultants and advisors, not currently part of our overhead who will be available for hire to fill important roles on an as-needed basis.  This group of over one dozen men and women come to us directly from within the entertainment industry.  The expertise they provide includes domestic distribution, foreign distribution, pre-production, production, post-production, legal, directing, sound and without exception every aspect of the motion picture business. 

The Project

Black Salt is an epic story about an ancient and powerful style of martial arts that has been practiced in the Shaolin Temple for hundreds of years.  With the murder of his wife and daughter, Samuel Tharp has to walk through a forbidden door to save his sons.  The only weapon that he had was his imperishable love that a parent has for one’s kids and the honor, courage and discipline that he has instilled in each of them.  Samuel’s suspenseful and inspirational journey will take him through a small mountainous and wooded Chinese province, then back half way across the world to America.  This action packed martial arts film has a strong universal message, “A man should be judged in life by the pureness of his heart and his deeds and not by his origin or what Klan he was born into.”  Black Salt is a cross between Crouching Tiger; Hidden Dragon meets Blade with a sprinkle of The Last Samurai.  The Company plans to hire name talent for creative and acting roles in the film, there by adding even more to the film’s commercial value and audience appeal. 

The Industry

The U.S. motion picture industry had its best year in 20 years in 2002 according to the Motion Picture Association of America.  With the highest level of ticket sales since 1957, overall business grew to 1.64 billion tickets and has remained there for 2004, even with other entertainment options such as the internet, cable, pay per view and dvds. 

The Market

Gliding across the Pacific, the Asian martial arts have become part of the mainstream of American culture.  Today there are an estimated five to seven million practitioners in the United States, 40 percent of which are children between the ages of 7 and 14.  The martial arts industry generates annual revenue topping the $ 1 billion mark. When Quentin Tarantino’s martial arts films Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2 were released, both films grossed over 30 million dollars in 3 days and went to number one at the box office.  Other films such as Blade, Electra and House of Flying Daggers followed, by ringing up the box office receipts as well.  The reason for this important resurgence in the martial arts is that the world is becoming a fearful and uncertain place.  People are now desperately looking for heroes that fight for right or justice and give us the confidence that everything will be safe and secure. 

Distribution

Today there are many more ways to distribute a film then ever before.  But many, filmmakers don’t take advantage of them, either because they are not knowledgeable or they believe that their films should only be seen in theaters.  Upon attaching some “A” list actors and a director to the Black Salt film project, the Company will seek out territory by territory pre-sold distribution or negative pickup with a letter of agreement or letter of credit from the interested distributors.  These agreements will be used as collateral for potential investors.  At present, all rights (including theatrical, cable, broadcast, pay-per-view, home-video and international) are available. 

Investment Opportunities and Financial Highlights

Although there is always risk attributed with any venture, this plan significantly reduces the risk, and poses a viable path to greater and greater proceeds, which will translate into profits.  A motion picture’s commercial appeal is undoubtedly the single most significant factor in determining its financial success.  This is closely followed in importance by the agreement that a production company has with its film distributors.  All of these factors affect the bottom line. 

With the public starving for more action packed martial arts films and the implementation of our backwards approach method which uses diverse strategies to minimize the investor’s risk while maximizing the potential for exceptional profits.  The backwards approach method consists of three important factors.  First the Company strategically markets and promotes the film, develops and launches some of the multimedia merchandising product line and then gets the consumer involved in the movie making process.  These factors will in turn create a huge demand and a loyal customer base for the product line while attracting more investors, actors and distributors for the film.  As stated above the Company will seek out pre-sold distribution and use the letter of credit as collateral for investors and acquire a completion bond, which is a form of insurance that the film will be completed by a particular date without overshooting its budget.  Secondly, each investor will become a limited liability member of the Company.  In addition, each investor will receive 90% of the cash available for distribution receipts until such time as they have recouped 100% of their investment.  Thereafter, the investors would share in his predetermined profit percentage in the balance of the cash available distribution.   Cash available for distribution includes the gross revenues generated by the film less agency fees paid to the film sales agents (generally 10% of the proceeds); fees paid to creative talent (generally 25% of proceeds after deducting production costs).  The gross revenues to be generated by the film include the proceeds from the sale, licensing, distribution and exhibit in the United States and foreign theatrical, home video, television, satellite, cable and other ancillary markets. 

The Company

Ratti Entertainment Inc. has created Black Salt Films LLC (the “Company”) a limited liability company established in Los Angeles California. The Company will offer a secure and lucrative opportunity for financial partners.  In addition investors who participate in this film project will share in the profits of the whole distribution chain, and not just the domestic returns provided by most Hollywood arrangements. Our goal is to take new and fresh intellectual properties that shape social thinking with positive messages and turn them into mass merchandising entities like the Star Wars project.  The Company plans to take the Black Salt trilogy way beyond just a series of films.  Through our mass merchandising product lines, our backwards marketing and promotional approach, the word Black Salt will be transformed into a new martial arts culture.  By using this strategy, every advertisement dollar spent on the Black Salt project would simultaneously cross promote everything in the product line.  This would lead to lower advertising cost, higher market penetration and higher profits.  This backwards approach method will be inevitable for the survival of the entertainment industry in the future, as the business environment changes due to technology, piracy and the new global economy.  The two principals of the Company bring to the development of this project a proven track record of successful professional experience as well as in-depth expertise in their respective fields and has key consultants and advisors, not currently part of our overhead who will be available for hire to fill important roles on an as needed basis. 

Aries Carmona, Creator/Producer 

Aries is presently involved as creator/producer of the epic action pack Black Salt project, in development as a feature film.  With a decade of creative development and promotional management experience, Aries, innate talent to view projects holistically, penchant for detail, collaborating spirit and ability to  liaise, contributes to the ease of the producing television programs (FOX “The Next Great Champ” – NBC “The Other Half”) and film (“GALAVISION” “Nosotros”) 

An early interest in photography led this bi-lingual California native to earn her degree in Radio and Television from the University of California Los Angeles. A segue into the field of cinematography was brought about through an apprenticeship with a photographer.  Her passion for this new medium led to negotiating deals with Galavision and Telemundo, which provided opportunities to home her cinematographic craft in music videos, concerts and Spanish soap operas. 

At the esteemed William Morris Agency, Aries proved to be a quick study on the corporate side of filmmaking.  Her ability to oversee the television packaging process-from inception to completion-has been successfully demonstrated in the Reality TV, Talk Show, Game Show, Independent/Feature Film, Documentary, Music Video and Daytime Television genre’s. 

Aries then moved to the Paradigm agency where she packaged feature film projects, created press material for “A” list actors, submitted clients to casting directors in all levels and edited treatments that needed rewrites for the agents before submission. 

Owen Ratliff, Creator/Producer 

Presently, Owen has funded the development phase of his epic saga feature film Black Salt.  From script, budget and business plan to internet marketing, grass roots promotional campaign, clothing line, video game layout, comic book layout and toy sculpture input.  Owen’s most recently completed project is a psychological thriller entitled Unstable Minds, which he co-produced with director Surinda Singh. 

Owen Ratliff, a southern California native, graduated with a degree in marketing and economics from Oregon University.  During this time, Owen observed that the Midwest was brimming over with untapped talent.  A business entrepreneur, he created the independent record label “Ratti Entertainment” as a means to provide and outlet for Midwest Rap, R&B, and hip-hop artists. 

“Ratti Entertainment” signed many up and coming artists and also joined forces with other independent labels and their talent.  The outcome was the well-received “Midwest Funk Soundtrack” released in the spring in 1994.  Supported by all major record stores, this compilation album sold over 15 thousand copies, remaining #2 on the store charts for ten consecutive weeks.  These figures impressed a number of record labels, resulting in the creation of “Midwest Funk Vol.  II” which debuted on the billboard charts at number 67.  “Midwest Funk Vol. III” came next and the two albums combined for over 80 thousand copies sold.  The formula was by linking both well known and local talent… including the artists “Twista”, “Souljah Boy”, “Mo Thugs Family” and “Troop.” 

Owen’s new clout enabled him access to larger independent labels and use of their artists for his compilation albums.  When the overseas market got in the picture, his sales skyrocketed.  The film industry began to take notice of this young man’s rapid success and offers for both movie and commercial deals were thrown his way.  Owen produced songs on soundtracks for “Bulworth”, “Faking the Funk”, “Learning Curve” and “Blade” as well as various BET movies, several of which went gold and platinum. 

Owen, in an effort to create more opportunities for Midwest talent, decided to share his experience and knowledge while expanding their resources.  Thus “2002/2003 Midwest Music, Movie and Model” expo “Chasing the Dream” was born.  Set in Columbus and surrounding cities, the concept behind this networking conference was to educate and expose upcoming talent to the inside workings of the entertainment industry.  Guest speakers from Los Angeles and New York joined Owen on this venture, offering the Midwest a direct link to the big wigs on both coasts. 

The Business Plan
For
Black Salt

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Ratti Entertainment Inc.  has great investment opportunities and is looking for investors and companies that would be interested in participating in the Black Salt film project. 

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